We’ve seen the media blamed for the rise of militancy in Bangladesh, we’ve watched our leaders blame each other yet not take the definitive steps to eradicate heartless terrorizing, and we’ve stood by watching as miltancy was allowed to evolve in Bangladesh.

Dec 5, the Daily Star reports, “Govt okays release of fund to ‘terror funder’”.

Just days before the November 29 carnage on two court premises, the government gave consent to release a fund of about Tk 2 crore to the Bangladesh branch of a Kuwaiti NGO, Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS), which is at the top of the list of suspected donors to Islamic militants in the country.

See the Nov 26 Daily Star report for background information.

After the August 17 countrywide orchestrated bomb strikes, intelligence reports recommended that the government ban the Kuwait-based Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS) and take action against a number of other Middle Eastern NGOs found to be linked with the Islamist extremists.
…
After the August 17 blasts, five foreign officials of the RIHS, two Sudanese, two Algerian and one Libyan, left the country under pressure from the government. Before joining the RIHS the five had worked for Al-Haramain in Bangladesh, an NGO banned worldwide for financing al-Qaeda.

Bangladesh banned Al-Haramain in July 2004 at requests of the US and Saudi Arabia. All the 14 foreign officials of Al-Haramain left Bangladesh after the ban. But four of them returned several months later and joined the RIHS secretly.

Is this how we will stop the terror and protect the interests of the people of the nation?

Please share other news items, articles or analysis that you come across related to RIHS activity in Bangladesh.

Update: RIHS is in the US terrorist exclusion list

Late Update

From this New Age report:

Ghalib, Rajshahi University’s Arabic teacher, got contracts of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society to construct mosques, madrassahs and orphanage centres, through which he made a huge amount of money. Ghalib is being tried for engineering the bomb blasts at NGO offices and cultural functions in the northern part of the country.

To channel the money to Ghalib’s fund, said police, the Society deceived seven madrassahs located in Bogra, Rajshahi, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts. The Society, as per recommendations of Tawheed Trust, started funding the madrassahs in 1993 but stopped doing so in July 2001

In the meantime, RIHS chief paid a visit to Bangladesh in August and left hastily after the Aug 17th bombing. More startling information here.

“He was embarrassed by the answer when he asked government officials why five RIHS officials had been expelled recently,” the official said seeking anonymity. He was told that the five had been residing and working in Bangladesh illegally and assisting Islamist militants.

He was also told that there are proves of the RIHS clearly violating the Foreign Donation Regulation (FDR) Act 1978 and getting involved in activities contrary to Bangladesh’s interest.

Meanwhile, a Special Branch (SB) report has revealed that Ahale Hadith leader and Rajshahi University Arabic teacher Asadullah al Galib deposited a Tk 27 lakh RIHS allocation for orphanages to Jihadi fund.

The report said Galib, now in prison, still maintains contact with the RIHS and RIHS people are often found to meet him.

Take a look at the chargesheet against Ghalib or what he was doing with the money

Also JMB sends a letter declaring the same Ghalib their leader.

See all reports about this shady character Ghalib in daily star

Summary: Two weeks after the killing of two judges by the extremists, government cleared funds of a foreign org that
A. Has sent money to a militant who is in prison for his terrorism
B. is blacklisted by the US for supporting terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan
C. has been clearly recommended by an internal intelligence report to be banned as an outlawed agency that funds militancy

Chew on this.

And in the meantime, let’s stand aside and let children be trained as suicide bombers.

Dec 10, ‘05 update: Need to identify source of terror fund.

findings of a research work say annual net profit of the businesses controlled by the fundamental groups is approximately Tk 1,206 crore.

They have businesses in eight major areas including financial institutions such as bank, insurance, leasing companies and pharmaceuticals, educational institutions, communication sector, real estate, media, non-government organisations (NGOs) and trading houses.